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Topic: Brewpubs that serve BMC (Read 7013 times)

I've been to a couple brewpubs that serve the bigguns right next to their house brews. At both places, their house beer sucked and more people were drinking coors light than anything else. If it were my brewpub, I don't think I could take myself seriously if I served my beers and coors light on the same tower. Why the extra expense of making your own brews?

Anyone else been to places like this? What justification is there in doing this?

Unless you only associate with like-minded (from a beer perspective anyways) folks, it makes it easier for you to go out with a group of friends. If all aren't interested in the good stuff, they've at least got an alternative.

Makes sense to me... When groups of people gather at a pub, not everyone is into the craft beer. One our local pubs has had PBR on tap & some others. Actually PBR is a refreshing change once in a while IMO.

I've been to brewpubs like this and I just don't get it. It makes me angry actually. Why would a brewpub do that? Most brewpubs make a light lager of some sort. Why wouldn't you just tell the person, "Well, we do have a light lager that we brew, here's a sample." Instead of giving up and immediately pouring them BMC. I can see having those beers in bottles, but having taps for those beers right next to your delicious craft beer is an insult to the craft beer movement.

Have to agree - I just don't think a Brew Pub should serve BMC. Now, a fancy beer bar is a different story. But a Brew Pub - no way. I can certainly see having guest taps for other craft brews. But never BMC.

No, I can't take them seriously. I'm all for bringing in what the customers want (light lager), but you don't have to go with BMC. Bring in some nice German lagers or even American made ones and offer them that. I would offer them Bitburger before I put Budweiser on tap. I've even got some people hooked on Boddington's. There are better beers available.

When a group of craft beer drinkers walk in with a couple of their BMC buddies, there's no reason to not cater to that customer too. Eventually one of them will try one of your brews, and if you're brewing some decent stuff... You may have another convert from the dark side. The last thing you want is them to walk out at the end of the night thinking "there's nothing here for me, I'm not coming back." Do you think that mixed group of BMC/craft beer drinkers will come back the next time they're all out together?

It's all about serving the customer what he wants, not what you think he wants. Survival in the retail business demands a constant gain of market share. If you're not gaining you're losing. In this case serving BMC is a safe bet to help increase market share IMO. Cheers!!

True, and your product should be your art. But the idea is to sell a lot. Why would you let your personal ego integrety get in the way of that.

Sell a product and then find as many companion products to sell along with it that you can. if its yucky beer that sells a lot so what, at least it is selling.You may find yourself in a market that does not demand the kind of beer you brew, or rather need to sell to turn a profit. You have to find a way to sell more to keep it going.

Amen to that! Our ideas about whether or not "its right" to have a commercial lager in a brewpub are interesting, but completely beside the point for a brewpub owner and entrepreneur. If they have the approach that the purity of their art can't share a taproom with BMC, then they can take that approach. They may find it harder to compete, depending on the market they are in, but some of them will do just fine. But to be a successful business owner necessitates a lot of compromise and pragmatism, so I wouldn't give a brewpub owner grief over serving Coors, any more than I'd get upset over them serving Cocacola instead of freshly made, on premise artisanal soda made with raw cane sugar and organic flavorings and naturally carbonated with CO2 from the fermentors.

Actually I'd say the case could be made that regardless of the typical beer geek's opinion of it, BMC represents a much more natural product than, say, Diet Coke!